DORBANTAVANK

Location. The monument is situated at the northern extremity of a large village site known by the name of Dorbant, 3 km north-east of Sverdlov Village, Lori Region, Republic of Armenia (Tashir District of Gugark Province, Armenia Maior), at an altitude of 1,600 metres above sea level (N 41°06´49.50´´; E 044°26´07.92´´).

A Historical Introduction. There exist no lapidary or historical records regarding the foundation of this monument and the historical events connected with it. Moreover, even its original historical name has not come down to us so that nowadays both the local people and the specialised literature call it by the alien name of Dorbantavank (Dorbant Monastery) deriving from a nearby large village site (it was stripped of its Armenian inhabitants in the early 18th century).

Dating. The composition and ornamentation peculiarities of the church are typical of the Armenian Chalcedonian monuments of the 7th century.

An Architectural Description. Dorbant Monastery represents a three-apsidal cruciform domed structure extending from the east westward. Its composition peculiarities make it different from other similar monuments of the same period (Talin, Hnevank, Pemzashen, etc.): thus, its underdome space is not square but rectangular, and the dome is not circular but oval. It is also distinguished for the dimensions of its eastern and western cross wings, which are almost twice as long as the others.

The eastern cross wing is outwardly pentagonal, the southern and northern ones trihedral and the western one rectangular. The dome, which has an octahedral tambour, rests on the arches joining the juncture corners of the cross wings by means of squinches which are arranged in a row. The tambour joins the oval dome via squinches arranged in two rows. The main, namely eastern sanctuary, which has a low bema, is flanked by vaulted vestries of a rectangular plan. The church has two entrances, the principal of which opens from the centre of the southern apse and the other from the southern wall of the western cross wing.

The outer ornamentation of the church comprises its cornice with a horseshoe-shaped arcature, entrance frames and window crowns. Especially noteworthy is the frame of the westernmost window of the southern facade, which is crowned by a combination of small decorative horseshoe-shaped arches and a double-row serrated band.

The church is built of large blocks of finely-finished felsite. Black tuff is used in its dome-bearing arches, tambour, dome and the corners of the apses.

It underwent renovation in the 1980s.

A graveyard, extending on a hillside north of the church, preserves some tombstones without any epitaphs or ornamentation.

Dorbant Monastery is one of the unique and valuable specimens of early medieval Armenian architecture. It shows a juxtaposition of two compositions, namely the basilica and cruciform domed one, thus representing one of the earliest examples of the domed uni-nave composition.